2024 Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in the Great Lakes Region
157Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
60,741Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Degrees Awarded
$29,415Avg Early-Career Salary
If you pursue a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #3 most popular program in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 157 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for liberal arts / sciences & humanities students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 60,741 degrees in liberal arts / sciences & humanities during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Choosing a Great Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities School
Your choice of liberal arts / sciences & humanities school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Rankings by Degree Level
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in the Great Lakes Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.
You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to you.
In addition to College Factual's rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you.
When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don't forget it.
Best Schools for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities in the Great Lakes Region
The schools below may not offer all types of liberal arts / sciences & humanities degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
23 Top Great Lakes Region Schools in Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities
University of Chicago is a good option for students pursuing a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the city of Chicago, UChicago is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #2 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means UChicago is a great university overall.
There were roughly 157 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at UChicago in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from University of Chicago earn $8,653 more than the average liberal arts / sciences & humanities student.
It's difficult to beat DePaul University if you wish to pursue a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the large city of Chicago, DePaul is a private not-for-profit university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #203 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means DePaul is a great university overall.
There were roughly 126 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at DePaul in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities major at DePaul University make $27,293 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
It is difficult to beat University of Notre Dame if you want to pursue a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. Located in the suburb of Notre Dame, Notre Dame is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #20 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Notre Dame is a great university overall.
There were roughly 36 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Notre Dame in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities degree recipients from University of Notre Dame receive an earnings boost of around $5,082 over the average income of liberal arts / sciences & humanities majors.
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is a good choice for students interested in a degree in liberal arts / sciences & humanities. U-M is a fairly large public university located in the midsize city of Ann Arbor. A Best Colleges rank of #29 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means U-M is a great university overall.
There were approximately 67 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at U-M in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from University of Michigan - Ann Arbor earn $3,674 more than the standard liberal arts / sciences & humanities grad.
Ohio State is a fairly large public university located in the large city of Columbus. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Ohio State is a great university overall.
There were about 13 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Ohio State in the most recent data year. Students who receive their degree from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities program make an average of $21,962 in their early career salary.
Vincennes University is a large public university located in the remote town of Vincennes. This university ranks 14th out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
There were about 1373 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Vincennes University in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities degree recipients from Vincennes University receive an earnings boost of approximately $7,915 over the typical earnings of liberal arts / sciences & humanities graduates.
College of Lake County is a fairly large public college located in the suburb of Grayslake. A Best Colleges rank of #247 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means College of Lake County is a great college overall.
There were approximately 1475 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at College of Lake County in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities program report average early career wages of $27,907.
Located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay, UW - Green Bay is a public university with a moderately-sized student population. This university ranks 27th out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were about 311 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at UW - Green Bay in the most recent year we have data available. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from University of Wisconsin - Green Bay earn $4,452 more than the typical liberal arts / sciences & humanities graduate.
Located in the city of Indianapolis, IUPUI is a public university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #274 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IUPUI is a great university overall.
There were roughly 261 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at IUPUI in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from Indiana University - Purdue University - Indianapolis receive $7,672 more than the typical liberal arts / sciences & humanities student.
Located in the midsize city of Warren, Macomb Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 6th out of 57 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There were about 1226 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Macomb Community College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities program state that they receive average early career income of $27,775.
Located in the small city of Muncie, Ball State is a public university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #205 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Ball State is a great university overall.
There were approximately 277 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Ball State in the most recent data year. After graduation, liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree recipients generally earn an average of $30,527 in their early careers.
WIU is a moderately-sized public university located in the town of Macomb. This university ranks 39th out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were roughly 169 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at WIU in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities degree recipients from Western Illinois University earn a boost of about $7,541 above the typical income of liberal arts / sciences & humanities majors.
Harper College is a large public college located in the large suburb of Palatine. This college ranks 22nd out of 85 schools for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were about 1873 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Harper College in the most recent data year. After graduation, liberal arts / sciences & humanities degree recipients typically make about $26,090 in the first five years of their career.
Tiffin University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Tiffin. This university ranks 31st out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were approximately 31 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Tiffin University in the most recent year we have data available. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities degree recipients from Tiffin University get an earnings boost of around $19,408 over the average earnings of liberal arts / sciences & humanities majors.
Located in the suburb of North Canton, Kent State University at Stark is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 15th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were roughly 771 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Kent State University at Stark in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from Kent State University at Stark earn $2,082 more than the standard liberal arts / sciences & humanities student.
Siena Heights University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Adrian. This university ranks 21st out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There were about 28 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Siena Heights University in the most recent year we have data available. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from Siena Heights University earn $8,937 more than the standard liberal arts / sciences & humanities graduate.
Located in the suburb of New Albany, Indiana University - Southeast is a public university with a small student population. This university ranks 32nd out of 42 colleges for overall quality in the state of Indiana.
There were approximately 107 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Indiana University - Southeast in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities major at Indiana University - Southeast make $2,321 above the typical graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Located in the city of Milwaukee, UWM is a public university with a fairly large student population. This university ranks 19th out of 46 schools for overall quality in the state of Wisconsin.
There were about 315 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at UWM in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities program report average early career income of $30,556.
Oakland is a fairly large public university located in the large suburb of Rochester Hills. This university ranks 11th out of 57 schools for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There were approximately 123 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Oakland in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from Oakland University receive $5,307 more than the standard liberal arts / sciences & humanities student.
Xavier is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of Cincinnati. A Best Colleges rank of #316 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Xavier is a great university overall.
There were approximately 69 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Xavier in the most recent year we have data available. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from Xavier University make $12,375 more than the typical liberal arts / sciences & humanities graduate.
Located in the city of Cincinnati, Cincinnati State is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 17th out of 96 schools for overall quality in the state of Ohio.
There were roughly 175 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Cincinnati State in the most recent data year. Those liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who get their degree from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College receive $3,030 more than the typical liberal arts / sciences & humanities grad.
Located in the rural area of Marion, IWU is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #291 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means IWU is a great university overall.
There were about 155 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at IWU in the most recent data year. Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities degree recipients from Indiana Wesleyan University - National & Global receive an earnings boost of approximately $5,154 over the typical earnings of liberal arts / sciences & humanities majors.
Located in the city of Chicago, Harold Washington College is a public college with a medium-sized student population. This college ranks 34th out of 85 colleges for overall quality in the state of Illinois.
There were roughly 1599 liberal arts / sciences & humanities students who graduated with this degree at Harold Washington College in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the liberal arts / sciences & humanities program report average early career income of $26,255.
Here are some additional great schools for Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
college factual
Your choice of liberal arts / sciences & humanities school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. We derive our Best Overall Liberal Arts / Sciences & Humanities School rankings by rolling up our degree-level rankings after weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each school.
